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EU Feed Industry Commits to Sustainability

15 June 2012

EU - The European compound feed industry must increase resource efficiency and add value for customers, said the European Compound Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC) in its second edition of the FEFAC Environment Report.

“The European compound feed industry has to focus on the further increase of resource efficiency and its contribution to safe and healthy feed and food. This is the added value that the feed compounder can bring to its customers.

"The EU feed industry is taking its responsibility towards society: given the global growing demand for animal products and the shrinking availability of natural resources, it is absolutely vital for the feed industry to take care of its social and environmental impact. These are the guiding principles of FEFAC actions in the area of sustainability” stressed Ruud Tijssens, Chairman of the FEFAC Task Force on Sustainability.

“The first report published in 2009 established an initial overview of the environmental benefits and burdens that result from activities under the direct control of the EU compound feed industry. Since the first report, significant steps have been reached,” explained Patrick Vanden Avenne, FEFAC President.

Since the first report, FEFAC is now actively involved in two major projects aimied at developing an internationally harmonised methodology for the assessment of the impacts of livestock products on the environment, at European level through the EU Food SCP Roundtable and at international level in a multilateral partnership with the FAO.

An international standard for responsible soy has also been defined by the Round Table on Responsible Soy.

The latest report has been prepared by the FEFAC Task Force on Sustainability, composed of environmental experts of feed companies and national associations of compound feed manufacturers.

The first chapter describes the overall feed industry’s vision of sustainability and focuses on responsible supply.

The second chapter presents FEFAC activities in the area of harmonization of methodology. This new section features some proposals to overcome methodological hot spots and FEFAC calls for a constant stakeholder dialogue to solve these methodological issues.

The last chapter of the report is dedicated to the major political challenges identified by FEFAC at EU level which are the Common Agricultural Policy Reform, the Common Fisheries Policy Reform, the EU 2020 Resource Efficiency Strategy and the upcoming EU Sustainable Consumption and Production policy. The report also provides examples of national initiatives aiming at improving environmental performances.

“This chain dialogue is not only necessary for methodological discussions but is also important to develop a true holistic approach of sustainability, as shown in the contributions of our partners in this report” said Mr Vanden Avenne.